When Boxes Rattle

Chapter 2

Kevin was still out of it when both of them left the Booksale. Instead of a Thomas Harris, tucked inside Kalia’s bag was David Bowick’s How to Disappear Completely. It was a comical book, one that her friend highly suggested her, but nowhere near Kevin’s genres. She purchased it still using his savings just so they can finally exit Kevin’s trance.

“What was that about?” Kalia snapped when they were in front of the Toy Kingdom, a stuffed toy arcade labeled with WOF covering them from the rest of the mall. “Are you doing drugs?”

Finally, he was able to lash back normally. “What was what about? And what do you mean drugs? I can’t even stand vape!”

They were siblings, Kalia and Kevin. With Kalia now at twenty four and five years older than him.

“You zoned out, Kev. We were picking a book on Booksale and you zoned out. Your eyes kept coming back to a corner, and you mumbled a ‘her’ once. What in the world was that?”

Instead of answering, Kevin grabbed the paper bag containing their purchase. He rolled his eyes in defeat when he saw what it contained.

Kalia felt a little bit of triumph. “So?”

“I saw her. The girl I told you about.”

Kalia tried to imagine the Booksale a few minutes ago while they were standing between the children’s book section and the crime fiction. Including the two sales personnel, there were six of them inside.

“I don’t remember you mentioning any girl lately.” She didn’t mention there weren’t any girl inside. Only two other older men.

Kevin took a P20 bill from his wallet and bought four tokens from the WOF personnel beside the arcade.

“Not lately, Kal. Three years ago.” He turned to the arcade, inserted a token on the chamber, and maneuvered the electronic hand. The hand grabbed the green Doraemon when he pressed, but easily let go when it was halfway up.

“You know these machines are rigged,” Kalia blurted out, unafraid that the personnel was still in earshot.

“We’re all rigged, Kal. We don’t normally do what we think we should be doing.” He placed another token in the chamber and lorded over the lever.

Exasperated, Kalia groaned audibly. “So, about that girl. Because I don’t recall every piece of nonsense you’ve spurted for the past three years.”

The second token was wasted when the same green Doraemon was again let go.

Kevin placed a third token. “It was so like today, Kal, that day three years ago. I was coming out of Booksale with a new book when a girl carrying a fresh Turk’s wrap accidentally bumped into me. Apparently, she was so giddy about the release of her favorite TV series’ 6th season that she was literally skipping and yes, her wrap splattered on the back of my shirt.”

With that specific piece of information, Kalia didn’t need to be retold of the rest of his story. After spilling shawarma on his shirt, the girl had despairingly apologized. That should’ve been enough for Kevin, but the girl was still so giddy that she had dragged him to the nearest Infinitea  shop and had bought him a lychee.

When the waitress had inquired of his name (to be written on the tea’s container), the girl gave the waitress a rather outlandish one. “Epimetheus,” she’d offered. When the waitress turned around to process his lychee, the girl had told him it’ll be a game. They wouldn’t tell each other their names and instead, they’d just give something that’s inside their pockets. And when they’d meet again, they’ll just have to show that specific thing for recognition.

Kevin had given her a WOF token. The only other things in his pocket that time were his phone, wallet, house keys, and a tissue with his phlegm on it.

The girl had taken out a box from her backpack.

It was the heaviest box at one foot per dimension he has ever carried, he’d exclaimed then.

Kalia could still remember him pouting that time as he recounted his story. “She pulled out this box from her backpack. It irked me. I thought you could only take something from your pocket.”

Kalia also remembered there had been no shawarma splattered on his shirt.

Only lychee.

A lot of it.